The present invention relates to a device for providing a sanitary paper that serves a dual function. The sanitary paper can serve as a tissue paper and as a toilet seat-cover. Among other features, this eliminates the need to maintain two types of sanitary paper in bathrooms.
Tissue paper and toilet seat-cover paper are soft, lightweight papers that are used in restrooms for personal hygiene. While the tissue paper is used for wiping the anus after defecation, the seat-cover paper is used to protect human skin from contacting the toilet seat surface. As sanitary papers which come in contact with human skin, and thus have to be disposed after use, both the tissue paper and the seat-cover paper are made of a soft, flushable, and water-soluble paper material. However, as a result of the differences in their specific tasks, they are usually differing in their paper/tissue type. Thus, for example, while tissue paper (which is designed mainly for cleaning of the anus) is usually composed of water-absorbing paper with a relatively rough surface, seat-cover paper (which is designed to protect human skin from contacting the toilet seat surface) is usually composed of a soft, smooth (glazed) paper, sometimes impregnated with chemicals (such as antibacterial compounds).
Today, as a result of the differences in their tasks and their material composition, tissue paper and seat-cover paper are usually packaged in a completely different configuration, and supplied to the customer as separate units. Thus, for example, while tissue paper is formed and supplied as a continuous strip packaged in a roll with a plurality of transverse perforations at regular intervals, seat-cover paper is usually supplied as separate sheets, packaged in a box-shaped dispenser.
Various types and configurations of tissue paper and seat-cover paper have been described in the prior art. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,025,941, 4,050,105 and 4,766,617 disclose disposable and flushable toilet seat-covers packaged as individual units, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,297 discloses reusable toilet seat-covers, packaged as individual units. U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,584 disclose a long sleeve of non-porous and non-biodegradable material that contains many non-disposable seat covers, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,549 discloses a disposable and flushable sleeve-shaped cover seat that is detachable from a continuous sheet packaged in a roll.
Another type of disposable seat cover that is packaged in a roll is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,117 and Japanese Patent 2000139774. In all cases of the prior art, the tissue paper and the seat-cover paper appear as separate units or in some type of package combination, such as those manufactured by Tubular Specialties Mfg. (TSM) located in California USA, and American Specialties Inc, (ASI) located in New-York USA.
Although it is of great importance to have seat-cover paper also in small public places such as restaurants, the present situation is far from that, even in private homes. This is counter to the fact that many people are reluctant to have contact with a toilet seat outside their own homes. A recent study shows that more than 90% of women would not sit directly on a toilet seat. Presently, it can be seen that, while use of tissue paper is widespread and it can be found in almost every home, seat-cover paper is found only in selected public places like hospitals, airports, and hotels.
Some of the reasons that hamper the wide commercial distribution of toilet seat-covers are: (1) the cost to manufacture such units, and (2) the relatively large and bulky dispensers, that are usually required for packaging and storage of the individually-folded, seat-cover sheets. Such bulky dispensers, in turn, necessitate the allocation of significant wall space to accommodate them. For these reasons, private citizens and owners of small public places (like restaurants) prefer not to buy the commercial, bulky, and expensive seat covers. Instead, they prefer to cut pieces of tissue paper (which they usually have a plentiful supply of), and prepare “hand-made” seat covers on the spot. Namely, they cut pieces of tissue paper, and arrange them around the rim of the toilet seat in such way that it will keep their skin from direct contact with the toilet seat.
Therefore, in order for such sanitary seat-cover paper to become attractive to private customers and small businesses also, it is of great importance to have a relatively inexpensive sanitary paper that can be used easily and conveniently as tissue paper, or alternatively, as a toilet seat-cover.